Page:The Heimskringla; or, Chronicle of the Kings of Norway Vol 2.djvu/114

 106 CHKONICLE OF THE Chatter LXXXVIII. King Olaf prepares for his bridal journey. sagavii. w hich Konofoger gained the victory, having many more people. The earl fled with a single ship, and came back about autumn to Orkney, after losing most of his men and all the booty they had made. The earl was much displeased with his expedition, and threw the blame upon the Northmen, who had been in the battle on the side of the Irish king, for making him lose the victory. Now we begin again our story where we let it slip — at King Olaf 's travelling to his bridal, to receive his betrothed Ingigerd the king's daughter. The king had a great body of men with him, and so chosen a body that all the great people he could lay hold of followed him ; and every man of consequence had a chosen band of men with him distinguished by birth or other qualifications. The whole were well appointed, and equipt in ships, weapons, and clothes. They steered the fleet eastwards to Konghelle; but when they arrived there they heard nothing of the Swedish king, and none of his men had come there. King Olaf remained a long time in summer at Kon- ghelle, and endeavoured carefully to make out what people said of the Swedish king's movements, or what were his designs ; but no person could tell him any thing for certain about it. Then he sent men up to Gotland to Earl Rognvald, to ask him if he knew how it came to pass that the Swedish king did not come to the meeting agreed on. The earl replies, that he did not know. " But as soon," said he, " as I hear, I shall send some of my men to King Olaf, to let him know if there be any other cause for the de- lay than the multitude of affairs ; as it often hap- pens that the Swedish king's movements are delayed by this more than he could have expected." This Swedish king, Olaf Ericsson, had first a con- cubine who was called Edle, a daughter of an earl of Vendland, who had been captured in war, and there- Chatter LXXXIX Of the Swedish